The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) and the information platform “Tierversuche verstehen” of the Alliance of Science Organizations in Germany are launching their “Transparency Agreement for Transparent Information and Open Communication about Animal Research in Germany” today, Thursday, July 1, 2021. In the context of the initiative, research facilities from the field of life sciences undertake to transparently inform about animal experiments, to get actively involved in dialogue about animal research, as well as to ex-change experiences and publicise activities. The 53 initial signing parties of the initiative include universities, clinics, non-university research institutions, research-based companies as well as professional societies and funding organizations, including the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden. Planning provides for further organisations to join in the future. All signatories are listed on the website that has been set up for the initiative. Examples of successful communication about animal research and information for supporting the signatories in realising their goals are also provided on the website. The initiative follows similar activities in other European countries such as Britain, France and Spain.
The MPI-CBG regularly informs the public about the latest research results through press releases, research news or public events and tours. More information on research with animals is available on the MPI-CBG website: www.mpi-cbg.de/research/animals-in-research
Upon its launch on 1 July, the Transparency Agreement joins the ranks of various communication campaigns around the world. The initiative is launched on the “Be Open about Animal Research Day”, an event organised by the European Animal Research Association (EARA), sharing exam-ples of openness and transparency in animal research. The accompanying social media campaign can be found via the hashtag #BOARD21.
In line with the current state of research, animal experiments are an important component of the spectrum of experimental methods in biomedical research. Animal research is essential to gain fundamental knowledge and to allow for medically relevant development. While recent methodo-logical research allows for animal experiments to be replaced or reduced in scope by using alterna-tive methods in certain experimental approaches, it is currently not yet foreseeable that animal experiments can be replaced entirely. Such experiments will also be necessary in the future, to gain knowledge and to develop new therapeutic approaches and methods.
Visit the new website of the Transparent Animal Experiments Initiative:
www.initiative-transparente-tierversuche.de
Media contact:
DFG Press and Public Relations, Tel. +49 228 885-2109, presse(at)dfg.de
Expert contact at the secretariat of the DFG’s Permanent Senate Commission on Animal Protection and Experi-mentation: Dr. Valeska Stephan, Rostock University Medical Center, Tel. +49 381 494-2565, valeska.stephan(at)med.uni-rostock.de
Programme contact at the DFG Head Office:
Dr. Andreas Görlich, Life Sciences Group 2: Microbiology, Immunology, Neurosciences, Tel. +49 228 885-2566, andreas.goerlich(at)dfg.de
Learn about the DFG’s Permanent Senate Commission on Animal Protection and Experimentation and its activi-ties: www.dfg.de/sktf
Visit the Understanding Animal Research website: www.tierversuche-verstehen.de
Further information about “Be Open about Animal Research Day”:
https://www.eara.eu/post/celebrate-openness-in-animal-research-with-us-on-thursday